Tuberculosis (TB) has been a major health problem for most of recorded history and Mycobacterium tuberculosis remains one of the world's most significant pathogens. Responsible for millions of new cases of tuberculosis annually (see e.g. Pablo-Mendez et al., (1998) New Engl. J. Med. 338, 1641-1649), it is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent. While the incidence of the disease declined in parallel with advancing standards of living since at least the mid-nineteenth century, in spite of the efforts of numerous health organizations worldwide, the eradication of tuberculosis has never been achieved, nor is imminent.
TB is acquired by the respiratory route; actively infected individuals spread this infection efficiently by coughing or sneezing “droplet nuclei” which contain viable bacilli. Overcrowded living conditions and shared air spaces are especially conducive to the spread of TB, underlying the increase in instances that have been observed in the U.S. in prison inmates and among the homeless in larger cities.
Medical experts estimate that about 10 million Americans are infected with TB bacteria, and about 10 percent of these people will develop active TB in their lifetime. However, TB is an increasing worldwide problem, especially in Africa. It is estimated that, worldwide, about one billion people will become newly infected, over 150 million people will contract active TB, and 36 million people will die between now and 2020 unless TB control is improved.
The emergence of multi-drug resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis poses serious threats to the control of this disease due to the complex nature of second-line drug treatment (WHO Report. (2004) WHO/HTM/TB/2004.343). Upon infection the bacterium goes through an initial replicative phase inside the alveolar macrophages after which it enters a non-replicative, drug-resistant state of dormancy. This state of dormancy is probably induced by the environmental stress exerted upon the pathogen by the host's immune response. The bacterium is able to survive in this dormant state for decades until the host's immune system is weakened when it reactivates and causes the infectious disease (Dannenberg, Jr., A. M., and Rook G. A. W. (1994) In Tuberculosis: Pathogenesis, Protection and Control, Bloom, B. R., (Ed.) American Society of Microbiology, Washington D.C.). The current anti-mycobacterial drugs are able to kill only the actively replicating mycobacteria and do not clear the latent bacteria from the host (Honer zu Bentrup, K., and Russell D. G. (2001) Trends Microbiol 9, 597-605). Thus latency is a major problem in TB control. One-third of the world population is infected with the latent microorganism and nearly two million deaths occur annually (Dye, C., Scheele, S., Dolin, P., Pathania, V., and Raviglione M. C. (1999) JAMA. 282, 677-686, WHO Report. (2005) WHO/HTM/TB/2005). Individuals carrying a latent infection are estimated to harbor a 2-23% lifetime risk of reactivation (Zahrt, T. C. (2003). Microbes Infect. 5, 159-167).
If an individual has TB disease, i.e., has active TB, the individual typically is administered a combination of several drugs. It is very important, however, that the individual continue a correct treatment regimen for the full length of the treatment. If the drugs are taken incorrectly, or stopped, the individual can suffer a relapse and will be able to infect others with TB.
When an individual becomes sick with TB a second time, the TB infection may be more difficult to treat because the TB bacteria have become drug resistant, i.e., TB bacteria in the body are unaffected by some drugs used to treat TB. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) is a very dangerous form of tuberculosis. In particular, some TB bacteria become resistant to the effects of various anti-TB drugs, and these resistant TB bacteria then can cause TB disease. Like regular TB, MDR TB can be spread to others.
To avoid drug resistance in the treatment of TB, a four-drug regimen, i.e., isoniazid, rifampin, pyrazinamide, and streptomycin, is administered to TB patients. Aminoglycosides, such as streptomycin, are important anti-TB agents, but their utility is restricted by the requirement of parenteral administration, which is inconvenient and leads to poor patient compliance. It is theorized that poor patient compliance also can lead to the development of drug resistance, and it appears that the frequency of streptomycin resistance among anti-TB drugs is surpassed only by isoniazid.
In view of the above, an urgent need exists for new anti-TB agents useful in an effective treatment regimen for both the active and latent TB, and that effectively treat TB caused by multidrug resistant (MDR) strains of bacteria. Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide compounds and compositions for administration to an individual in the treatment of tuberculosis.